Pqge 10
Johnson takes fourth
By Nat Shaw
Spilyay Tymoo
The Indian National Finals
Rodeo was held in Southern
California just about a month
ago. There were a number of
contestants from Warm Springs
who qualified for the finals. One,
Clint Bruised Head, won the
World Ail-Around Cowboy
Championship and also the
Steer Wrestling Championship.
Another who qualified for
the National Finals was barrel
racer Jenna Johnson. Like the
old Hank Williams Jr. song,
Jenna was carrying on a Family
Tradition.
Johnson, a great, great, great
granddaughter of Paiute Chief
Oitz, is a 15-year-old sophomore
at Madras High School. She is
a third-generation barrel racer
who had a finals rodeo to re
member. Jenna's grandmother,
Marita Johnson, drove the
family's Ford Dually pickup to
San Jacinto, California, pulling
a four-horse trailer. Jenna's bar
rel horse, Mini, was in the back
as well as Scotty, a paint horse,
who was the backup. Jenna's
cousin and best friend Erica
Wewa was a passenger who pro
vided encouragement and
helped with the many chores.
Jenna has been riding horses
since she was five, and has been
competing in the rodeo arena
since she was six. Raised in the
Johnson family, Jenna was
bound to be a cowgirl. Her
grandfather, Delford, is a calf
roper. Her grandmother, Marita,
has been running barrels since
she was a girl. In 1978, Marita
was crowned Western States
Barrel Racing Champion, quali
fying for the All-Indian National
Finals rodeo at the Salt Palace
in Salt Lake City, Utah. She fin
ished fourth in the nation.
Jenna's aunts Shanna and Una
compete in barrel racing and
Cow 's nutrition important to beef
Submitted by Fara Ann Currim
Extension Agent
Last month a group of us got
together to talk cow sense. Eco
nomics, feeding, nutrition, and
general care were the focus of
the get together.
Mark McFarland, large ani
mal veterinarian from Madras,
and Cory Parsons, livestock
agent from Crook County, were
our guests, and they presented
beef information.
Kelly and Pinky Beymer do
nated the cow subjects for the
talk. They brought a first time
heifer, a bred cow, and an older
cow that had just finished wean
ing a calf.
Mark started out by talking
about the importance of eco
nomics. The basic purpose of a
breeding cow is to produce a
calf to take to the sale.
Economics drives this pro
cess. If your cow is not breed
ing yearly, or not producing
healthy calves, or carrying them
to term, there is a problem. You
are going to be losing money and
time.
Nutrition is the backbone of
this equation. If your cow is
healthy and fit, she is going to
have a good conception rate
and carry the fetus to term.
Thus, proper nutrition makes
economic sense.
Mark went on to say that
raising cattle here in the west
can be challenging, because our
growing season out on the range
is relatively short; so we have to
supplement with hay.
A cow eats two to three per
cent of her bodyweight daily.
That can translate to 20 to 30
pounds of hay per day. If she
is lactating, she needs the higher
amount
Mark also mentioned that the
hay needs to be of a quality that
can provide adequate nutrition.
A poor feed or an overly rich
LlMAM HATIOm HNAIS MOW,
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eSsW ill
Jenna Johnson won in the barrel races at the Indian National
Finals Rodeo in San Jacinto, Calif..
breakaway roping, as does her
mother Jodel. An eye opening
performance at the Tygh Ridge
Rodeo in May showcased the
ability of the Johnson ladies.
Jenna won the barrel racing
event. Her aunt Una finished
second, and Grandmother
Marita came in third. Jodel, also
a top barrel racer, mentioned
that the family travels together.:
"We travel in a convoy. If there
isn't enough room, we follow
with another truck and trailer."
Jenna Johnson qualified for
the Indian National Finals by
finishing second in the Colum
bia River Rodeo Association.
She was first in the standings
until an untimely accident
knocked her out of first place.
When asked about how it felt
to take part in her first Indian
National Finals, Jenna said, "I
feed is a waste of money. For
instance, bluegrass straw is a
good filler - a cow can bulk up
on that, but it can lack adequate
nutrition.
Mark said he has seen cows
with massive bellies, but an over
all low body condition core.
They were literally starving, but
they always had plenty of feed
in front of them.
Similarly, an overly rich feed
can race right through a cow.
Without roughage or filler to
slow it down, it will not be prop
erly processed. It is important
to have a balance of roughage
and protein.
Mark and Cory both spoke
about body condition scores
which range from one (ex
tremely thin to the point of star
vation) to nine (obese).
A first-time heifer needs to
have a body condition score of
at least five, preferably six.
Breeding cows thereafter should
have body condition scores of
five.
Fat translates into energy;
therefore a fleshy cow will have
better energy to forage effec
tively, take care of her young
and maintain her health.
Mark mentioned that vac
cines are less likely to work on
a cow with a low body condi
tion score than a healthier one.
There was also talk on min
eral supplements and other care
items. Mark and Cory spoke
about the importance of sele
nium supplementation as our
soils and vegetation are low in
this mineral. Supplementation
can occur in a salt block.
Mark also talked about the
importance of worming, even
in range animals. Range animals
can concentrate in areas for a
period of time, which can lead
to worm buildups in the system.
Feed additive-type wormers and
pour-ons are very effective.
Spilyqy Tyrooo,
in barrel
MATIONM
JENNA JOHNSON
Submrtttd photo
wasn't that nervous. I couldn't
wait to make my runs." In the
first two go-rounds she was sit
ting seventh out of 26 competi
tors. At the end of the third
performance she was fifth, and
when all the dust had settled and
the cowboys and cowgirls were
headed home, Jenna had moved
up to fourth in the average. A
great performance from a cool
and calm 15-year-old high school
sophomore. A performance
that equaled her grandmother's
performance 27 years earlier.
"People called and stopped to
see how Jenna was doing at the
finals," Jodel commented.
"That's how much the commu
nity cared about Jenna repre
senting Warm Springs."
When the rodeo announcer
announces her name over the
PA system, people watch be-
Recipe: grape
jelly meatballs
1 Vi cups chili sauce
1 cup grape jelly (can use
currant jelly)
1 to 3 teaspoons Dijon
mustard
1 pound lean ground
beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons fine dry
bread crumbs
xk teaspoon salt
Combine chili sauce, jelly
and mustard in crockpot and
stir well. Continue cooking
while preparing meatballs.
Combine remaining in
gredients and mix thor
oughly. Shape into 30 meat
balls. Bake in a preheated
400 degree oven for 15 to
20 minutes; drain well. Add
meatballs to crock pot and
cook on low for 6 to 10
hours.
Submitted by OSU Ex
tension Family and Commu
nity Development depart
ment. Thank you Emilee
Hugie!
Worms and other parasites such
as lice can rob a cow of energy
and effective food processing;
so, again, a simple thing like
worming can make your feed
more effective.
Then with our patient sub
jects on hand, Mark pointed out
sites for vaccinations. The rec
ommended place is in the loose
skin of the neck, four fingers
apart per site.
Mark and Cory scored the
cows, and we wrapped up our
beef basics course with ques
tions, answers, and ideas for the
future. Thanks to everyone who
participated!
Warm Springs, Oregon
racing at National Finals Rodeo
cause of her ability. Being one
of the youngest on the circuit,
the cowboys try to protect her
from the strong personalities she
might encounter during the
competition. The cowboys give
her encouragement and advice,
especially when she competes in
breakaway roping on her rope
horse, "Pinky."
This young Scekscequa cow
girl is a horsewoman. Jenna says
the most important thing in bar
rel racing is horsemanship.
"Grandma stresses that very
hard," said Jenna's mother Jodel.
Jenna has spent a lot of time
on a horse riding bareback.
With 21 horses in the Johnson
herd, there are plenty of horses
to ride. The Johnson herd is
comprised of well-bred quarter
horses and a few paints. These
veteran horses all work more
than one event. They are taught
to rope, barrel race, and pole
bend.
Jenna's barrel horse, Mini, is
a beautiful 14-year-old chestnut
with a white blaze and three
white socks. Mini's sire is Party
Jet, and she is out of the good
broodmare Jordan Ruth Bars.
The breeder, John Leonard of
La Grande, Oregon, has bred
many excellent quarter horse
racehorses from this pairing.
"The mare is mean and grumpy,
but she will run the barrels and
give 110 percent," says Jodel.
"Jenna and Mini seem to get
along well, and they have no
problem." Jodel used to barrel
race on Mini before giving her
to her daughter. Jodel bought
Lea it tie Smith-Lucero, 10, is a fifth grader at
Warm Springs Elementary School. She is a
member of the school's S.M.I.L.E. club, a math
and science club. She is consistently the first
student to finish the Accelerated Math Facts
tests, which requires students to complete 40
problems in two minutes. She said she would
like to be either a teacher or a doctor. Her
favorite subject is math, and when she's away
from school, she likes to read.
"She always does the right thing. She's always
on task, " Kevin Rodin, the School Improvement
Coordinator. "She 's an all-around good kid. "
WeScomme Waciion Spriiimgs
Open 7 days a week, on HWY 97
in the old Outpost building, 475-9776
Open 7 a.m. til midnight, Mon-Thurs.
Weekends 7 a.m. til 2 a.m.
the mare from her cousin Corey
Clements a few years back,
"Corey had quit barrel racing
and Mini had just been standing
in a pasture for the last few
years, so we asked Clint Bruised
Head to ride her and get her
started again." Jodel's husband,
Morris, continued to ride her
until Jodel's mother Marita and
sister Una took over the train
ing, making her into the barrel
horse she is today. Mini has
some problems with her feet, so
Jenna saves her for the Indian
point standing rodeos. When
Jenna is competing at jackpot
rodeos or the Northwest Pro
Rodeo Association (NPRA) ro
deos, she uses one of the other
barrel horses in the Johnson
herd.
When asked why she gave
Mini to Jenna, Jodel laughs and
says, "I had a couple of well
known barrel horse trainers tell
me that Mini would never be a
winner. So, I thought she would
be a step up for Jenna, and I
would buy a more expensive
horse." Jodel said that within two
months after Jenna started
riding the mare, she beat those
same trainers at a rodeo in
Paulina. "It was kind of funny
to watch the horse that wouldn't
be a winner wax them," said
Jodel.
Because of navicular, Mini
is a high maintenance mare, but
Jodel says she is worth it. When
Jodel first bought Mini, the mare
kept getting stone bruises. They
found that she was in the early
stages of foundering, which
Cold
Beverages,
Ice, Soda,
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& more
November 11, 2004;
means she cannot have hot feed
and requires cortisone shots in ,
her knees every six weeks when ,
she is competing. She also needs
to be shod in a special way. Jodel ( i
said that Navajo farrier, Calvin
Bahec, does an excellent job of
taking care of her feet. Jodel , (
also pointed out that because
Mini cannot have hot feed, what .
she accomplishes she does with , j
her big heart and desire to run.
Marita, the on-site consultant , ,t
and chauffeur to Jenna, had T
some insight on the national fi- r
nals that comes with being a sea- ,
soncd veteran. "All yearjenna's
best times were in big arenas. At . w
the finals, they had to come in a
side gate and walk over to the ( ,
start line before beginning their
run." Marita felt that a larger , ,
arena would have worked to ;
Jenna's advantage." ; 1
"It was a good experience for
her. I told her on the way down
there that those Navajos and,
Okies aren't going to move over ,
for anyone. She got to see the . (
level of competition she was up
against at the national level.""
Jenna ran in the 17.3s and 17.7s
all week. Marita commented"
that it rained hard before
Sunday's performance. "They
had a tarp over the arena but it "
turned into a big lake. It just
made the runs heavy."
Jenna's mother Jodel owns
Jo's Coffee Shop next to the
Shell Mini-Mart on highway 26
in Warm Springs. -,
.7
See JOHNSON on page If
V.l
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